Process of ginning cotton



' (No Model.)

J. BAOHMAlL PROCESS OF GINNING COTTON.

Patented Nov. 7, 1893.

By his Attameys,

INVENTOR:

WITNESSES 2 X? f eflim' UiNrTno STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

JOSEPH A. BAOHMAN, OF AUSTIN, TEXAS.

PROCESS OF GINNING COTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,126, dated November 7, 1893.

Application filed June 14, 1892. gerial No. 436,640, (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

1 3e it known that I, JOSEPH A. BACHMAN,a c tizen of the United States, residing in Aust1n, in the county of Travis and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Grinning Cotton, of which the following is a specification.

Th e object of this invention is to effect the ginning of cotton more rapidly and economically than heretofore.

In ginning as ordinarily practiced, the seed cotton is fed by a seeder to a saw gin which separates the fiber from the seed, the fiber being blown out into a condenser, and the cleaned seed being delivered beneath the gin. Seed cotton on being fed to the roll holder of the gin becomes a part of a revolving roll of partially ginned cotton which is kept in rotation by the motion of the saws, which continually draw the fiber from the lower rear side of the roll between the bars of the grate, while the ginned seeds fall out through the roll and escape through the opening at the bottom of the roll box. The ginning of cotton is attended by the practical difficulties that in order to insure the thorough removal of all fiber from the seed, it is necessary to so construct and adjust the roll box as to maintain a tight or close roll of partly ginned cotton, so that the action of the saws is hampered, and the escape of the ginned seeds is interfered with, thus making the ginning operation very slow. The seeds as the fiber is torn from them are dragged upwardly and carried around in the roll, and become wrapped tip-within the seed cotton that is continually being fed to the roll, so that it is only withv difficulty that the seeds thus imprisoned are able to escape at the bottom of the roll box. The greatest economy is attained by such an adjustment as will insure the almost complete cleaning of the seed, leaving adhering to it only such a very short lint as cannot feasibly or economically be removed except by a delinter gin. To effectively remove the fiber from the seeds, it is necessary that the latter shall be held in a close roll so as to be tightly and firmly pressed against the saws, but the closer the roll becomes, the slower the ginmng operation proceeds because of the increasing-mass of seeds that is imprisoned in the roll of cotton, and of the increased den-.-

sity of the roll by which the fiber is held back and the drawing action of the saws is retarded.

My improved process, by means of which I have successfully overcome these difficulties, is based upon the principle of a gradual or successive ginning of the seed, somewhat analogous to the gradual reduction process of grinding wheat or other grain.

By my improved process, as shown by actual experience, over thirty-three per cent. more cotton can be ginned per saw in a given time than by the ordinary method.

My improved process is based upon the discovery that I have made that the ginning operation can be successfully subdivided by subjecting the seed cotton to a first ginning in an exceedingly loose or open roll, and then subjecting the partly ginned seeds that fall therefrom to a second ginning in a very close,

tight or firm roll. The two operations are or may be performed in any ordinary gin now on the market and adapted for successfully ginning seed cotton, the only necessary difference being that the roll-box of the gin performing the first operation shall be so adj usted as to maintain the roll in a Very loose or open condition, while the roll-box of the gin for performing the second operation should be so adj usted as to maintain the roll in a and rapidly draw the fiber from the seeds, taking therefrom chiefly the long staple fiber,

and that the seeds when thus partially denuded of fiber may freely and easily fall through the roll and be delivered from the machine; and in subsequently subjecting the partly gin-nedseeds resulting from this first operation to a second ginning while maintained in the condition of a tight or compact roll, its compactness being such as to firmly press theseeds against the grate and subject them to the close and effective action of the saws, while sufficiently retarding the escape of the seed to insure that no seed shall be delivered from the roll-box until thoroughly denuded of fiber.

IOC

By my improved process the .diificulties heretofore encountered are wholly overcome. The long staple fiber is drawn rapidly and freely from the seed without any retardation 'or clogging of the saws, and the seeds as soon as freed from the long fiber drop quickly out through the loose and open roll, where they are no longer in the way, and have no ieifect to retard the ginning of the seed cotton as it is fed in. There is consequently no winding up of ginned seeds within the roll: so that they are imprisoned and their escape retarded, as in ordinary ginning. Much the larger part of the fiber is removed from the seed in this first ginning operation, which is performed many times more rapidly than the 1 operation in ordinary ginning. In short-,this first ginning operation is not retarded byithel neeessityof recovering all of the lint from the seed as in the ordinary operation of gin-i ning. Int-he second ginning operation, t-herei being comparatively little fiber present, and scarcely any don g fiber, the roll may be maintained in very tightoncompact-condition Without thereby winding up or imprisoning the g inned seeds in ,newly fed fiber. Hence it-iis: easible to operate with a tighter rollzthan in i .ordinary ginning, so that theseeds are more i thoroughly cleaned-or denuded of fiber than heretofore. This second operation results in-i thedeliyery of .much less fiber than the ifiirsti operation, but being performed without lllhe ohsta ueting presence of ion gstaple fiber, the '1 act-ion of the saws is confined azvholl y itotelefiinr ing theseeds, so t-hatthe latterare acted upon i Very much snore rapidly than in ordinaryf innin 3 Thus my improved process hysgthe simiul-i taneous utilization of two ondinaryginswhi ch by si m ple rea d-justmentthave been apted 'to Operate u de t e cond t ons demanded by. my insert on, effiects a marked economy in the ginning operation by reason of the greater 1 apidi y with Which it is connected, and also ssi zhea dirt cna ad-va tagccf separating or I sorting the sinned cotton into two ,cliifereirt grades, nomc1y,t 1c long staple and the short taple- "5 .0 ef e t is separation, is only necessary to provide each gin with itsiotwn condenser in theordinany manner. If, how-5 ever, th e separation of the ginned cotton is not desired, both gins may deliver :to one con- .denser.

Figu e 1 .c the accompanying aw ngs illus ates insi e elevation such a combine,- ics f ordinsryeppara sas is suitable for carrying my improved process into .elfect. Fig. 2 ;is aw-ertical transverse section .011 .a' a ger scale of either o the gins shown in ig- Referring to Fig. 1, A designates .a fieeder f any o dina y or suita e construction adapted for feeding seed cotton to a gin. B and B are cotton gins of any usual or suit-a ableconstrnction known in the art. 0' and- 0 are condensers of any known or suitable tions required by my processconstruction. The cotton delivered :to the feeder A is by .the operation thereof fed uni forinly into the roll-box of the first gin B The fiber drawn off by this gin is discharged through a chute a, into the condenser O z The partly ginned seeds from the first ginning operation are discharged at the seed outlet 12, and fall through a chute 0 into the roll-box of the second gin B wherein the ginning is completed, and the cleaned seeds are finally discharged from this gin at d. The fiber drawn from the seeds in this second gin is do .livered through a .chute a into vthe condenser G Fig.2 shows the internal construction of either of the gins. The gin here shown is an ordinary and well known construction, andls .not necessarily altered by my lllMeIlldOllitts construction is illustrated here only tor the purpose of enabling the necessary ,adgust- .mentszto be understood. It is tconstnucted with the usual roll :holder or breast D, with the usual gangiof saws E, the usual grate E, andithe .usual brush iG,!f0l'.li1;mert g fiber :from the saws and blowing l:it;ou.t:.tl 1 .g s chute a. The arrows show the 'G-l IiGClilDHIOf :motionof the saws and brush, twzlrrle the a :rows in the roll-box D show the direction \of :travelof the roll. At the bottom of [the ibreast or roll-box is a discharge opening 1) lthlollgll which the ginned tor =pa1'.tly grinned {seeds :are discharged. llust abowie thus oultlet the seed board or trout-of the breast is provided with a regulatinglplarte lettered e which is hinged to the seed board and an -J usted 1C different angles by the turnrngg of a screw f. By :the position of {this plate, :tthe iloosenessor 1 tightness of the troll is .ia' illu l d- 'Thetoon tion of the roll may be affected by the shape .of ache roll-box D, but assuming th o l-b tosheofrsuchshape as ito admit of eltllfi fl loose .or ti ht roll, itheiaddnst'me it of the roll in this respect can ibB effected by re lowering the :plate .6. Ti -11S 118 the misual iconistruction :provided in cotton :g IlS a or inamade for enabling them 10 the adJnsted to adapt them to diffierent JQlHQlS or qual ties .of seed cotton, and to determine the closeness to which the seeds shall he gunned. 1n practicing my process, 1 email myself of the presence and capability of thisa anstrng device in order to regulate thetdensi y cf the rolls in the (two gins o conform Q h con h 5101' the rol boxof the upper gin, the plate is .adgiusted upward suinetentlyiand its lowerior reeedgc sufficiently retracted ifiroin the saws to cause the roll to revolve with the utmost reedom and in the loosest possible cond i n, M 1110 enable the seeds to talliont wi h the least nossibleobstruction. *ln'thetroll-box of the lower .or second gin, the plate is adjnsted downward and its freetedge is made tolcloselyapproach the saws in order to 'retarditheiegressof the seeds and maintain the roll in a close and compact condition. Whenever the radix-18tmentof the upper or first gin :is such a 10 draw off so much fiber as to leave not enough IOU fiber, or not enough long fiber, to maintain from breaking or stopping, I find it expedient to provide the roll-box of the lower or second gin with a float 'or'revolving bar arranged within the box, and having arms by which the mass or roll of seed is kept in rotation,

This float is a common expedient in the art of ginning. I

A suitable construction of float is shown in my application, Serial No. 441,468, filed July 28, 1892.

My improved process by thus simultaneously utilizing two ordinary gins under the conditions essential to my invention, results in an important saving both in the cost or running expense of ginning, and in the machinery and room required; Two ordinary gins having each seventy saws require as ordinarily used each a separate seventy-saw feeder and a seventy-saw condenser. The same machines arranged to operate in successionaccording to the conditions of my invention, will do one third more work than if operated separately according to the old method,and require only one feeder, and (if the separation of the two grades of fiber is not desired) require only one condenser. invention is, that four bales of cotton may be ginned in the same time and with the same power as have heretofore been required for ginning three bales, whileat the same time the other machinery required is reduced onehalf, so that the outlay for machinery and for: gin houses to contain them is proportionately reduced.

I am aware that attempts have heretofore been made to accomplish the results attained by my invention, but so far as I am aware all attempts heretofore made in the direction of the gradual or successive ginning of seed cotton, or for removing the long and short staple fiber by successive operations, have been either wholly inoperative, or have resulted in no advantage as compared with the ordinary The practical result of my and accepted processes of ginning. All such prior methods are distinguished from my invention in that they lack the essential feature which constitutes the gist of my "discovery, namely, that the essential of success is involved in the maintenance of the seed cotton during the first ginning operation in a very loose roll, much looser than that in ordinary ginning, and in the maintenance of the roll during'the second ginning operation in comparatively tight or close condition, as fully herein specified.

I claim as my invention the improved process ashereinafter defined, substantially as hereinbefore specified, namely:

1. The improved process of ginningootton which consists in first subjecting seed cotton to'a ginning operation while maintained in a loose or open roll, and then subjecting the resulting partly ginned seed cotton to a ginning operation while maintained in a tight or close roll.

2. The improved process of ginning cotton which consists in first subjecting seed cotton to a ginning operation while maintained in a roll more loose or open than in ordinary ginning, and so loose that the partly ginned seeds from which the greater portion of the long staple fiber has been removed can freely fall out and be discharged, and then subjecting the resulting partly ginned seeds thus dis-' 

